Loud Shouts from the Cheap Seats

Hard day writing? Here are 10 essential tips for writing good marketing content.

We all know that writing can be difficult. There are just some days where I can’t write two simple sentences back to back. Well, it seems like it. When I get stuck, I take out my handy list of 10 essential tips and tricks for content success.

You’ll Never Please Everyone – Learn it. Feel it. Absorb it. Become one with it. This is ground zero for content writers. This is your rock steady that you can count on never changing.

Story Ideas Are Golden – Treat Them as Such – If you are going to be doing this for any length of time, it’s best to learn now that ideas are golden. I trust you have become painfully aware of this already. So, the next time you have the “Aha Moment” You make writing down and securing that puppy your number one priority. Just drop everything and take care of it now. I wish I had ten bucks for every idea lost into oblivion because I didn’t write it down later on.

Write About What Is Important to You – Mark Twain once gave this advice to an aspiring young writer who was looking for the key. Twain told him to write what you know. Write about things that you are passionate about. Passion is contagious and you want your audience to feel it and be moved.

Talk About Yourself More – Putting your personal touch on your writing by sharing your feelings and concerns with your audience. Not only will you stand out from the crowd, but personalization is a great way to attract regular readers.

Know Your Audience – The other half of attracting regular readers is to learn as much about the people who are reading you. The more you know, the better the job you can do in relating to their perspective and position in life. When you are scrambling for a clue on what to write about, do not forget to review what you know about your audience. A great source for inspiring ideas.

Let’s Go on a Road Trip! – Rev up your imagination, as you are sitting in the pilot’s seat. This is your story to tell, so make it interesting with a beginning, middle and end. Use creative word play to build momentum or create suspense. It’s your story. Tell it your way.

Become a Helpful Person – Make it a point to know your audience’s pain points, frustrations, headaches, and the things that keep them up at night. Do your homework and help these poor folks out. Show them a solution to their problem and at the very end make mention – “Oh, yeah! By the way, we also make a very going solution to that problem. We should get together. Don’t ya think? “

What Now? – The grand finale should culminate with a task for the reader to consider. How about a call to action? Direct them to where they can see other content published by you and your company. Ask them questions related to the story, inviting them to post their answer in the comments section.

The Hank Moody School of Creative Writing – The more you experience life, the better you will be able to relate to your readers. So get out there, and like Hank, live a little.

The Big Kumbaya in CyberSpace – Enough cannot be said about the importance of getting to know and understand your readers. Word of mouth referal is paramount in building your audience. So invite contact with your readers. Once again, the personal touch.

Thank you for taking time out to read this piece. Your time is greatly appreciated. To hear the rantings of other voices, try these two out:

11 Tips You Can Use Today to Develop Outstanding Content for Your Blog

Gerry Nason is a Senior Content Copywriter for HiP B2B. He also has extensive experience with generating high quality executive leads. Gerry worked for six years as the Producer & Director of a weekly music show, appearing on cable access TV in New England. During those six years, In Tune won 18 awards for video excellence.